Plans to better support farmers to protect hedgerows outside of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were set out by government at the end of June but smallholders and farmers have until 20th September to put their views.

Hedgerows bring a wealth of environmental benefits, acting as wildlife corridors to help halt species decline, slowing soil erosion and water run-off, supporting crop pollinators for food production, and taking carbon out of the atmosphere.

This consultation seeks views on how we can ensure hedgerows continue to get the right level of protection as we move away from cross compliance – the rules farmers have to comply with to receive direct payments under the CAP – and put in place new legislation tailored to the needs and best interests of English farmers.

It follows the launch of the 2023 Sustainable Farming Incentive earlier on which includes new actions paying farmers to assess the condition of hedgerows and manage them in a way that will work for wildlife and improve biodiversity.

Farmers, smallholders and land managers are also being supported to maintain and restore hedgerows through Countryside Stewardship. There are currently nearly 50,000 miles of hedgerows with one, or both sides managed under Countryside or Environmental Stewardship options and we’ve supported over 8,000 miles of hedgerow creation or restoration through Countryside Stewardship capital grants. The consultation will run until 20 September and seeks views on the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as well as on our approach to enforcement. These include farmers maintaining a buffer strip alongside their hedgerows, and not cutting or trimming hedgerows during bird nesting and rearing season.

Combined, these measures will help achieve targets in the Environmental Improvement Plan to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows by 2050, returning hedgerow lengths in England to 10% above the 1984 peak (360,000 miles). The consultation can be accessed on GOV UK

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